Photo: Ben Hershey on Unsplash
The University of Delaware’s football team earned a wild 25-24 victory over the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on Saturday by scoring nine straight points in the late minutes of the fourth quarter and converting a onside kick.
The standout players in this game were quarterback Nick Minicucci and wide receiver Sean Wilson.
Minicucci completed 26 of 52 passes, throwing for 304 yards and two touchdowns in the win. However, he struggled at times during the match, throwing two interceptions, one of which was a pick-six.
Wilson caught five passes for 107 yards in the victory.
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The University of Delaware trailed by four points at the end of the first quarter.
UD’s defense did its job in the opening minutes of the game, forcing Louisiana Tech to go three and out on its first drive of the first quarter.
But the Blue Hens didn’t capitalize on it, as on the sixth play in their opening possession of the game, Junior quarterback Nick Minicucci threw an interception, which killed any momentum they had.
Two drives later, the University of Delaware woke up the scoreboard, as the team went 69 yards in ten plays to end with senior kicker Nate Reed hitting a 28-yard field goal to give his team a 3-0 lead with 2:59 left in the opening quarter.
The Bulldogs punched back by closing the first quarter by driving 75 yards on seven plays to end with their running back Clay Thevenin, breaking off a 37-yard run to the endzone to give his team a 7-3 edge.
Blue Hens lead by two points at the end of the first half.
In the second quarter, all the scoring came from Delaware in the form of two field goals. Nate Reed made a 41-yarder and a 27-yard attempt to give his team a 9-7 advantage heading into halftime.
Delaware leads by nine points at the end of the third quarter.
UD’s offense struggled to find a rhythm in the first two drives of the second half, managing only a combined total of 18 yards during that stretch.
Near the middle of the third quarter, the Hens found a spark as they marched 96 yards in nine plays to end with quarterback Nick Minicucci finding his senior wide receiver Kyre Duplessis for the 14-yard touchdown catch to give their team a 16-7 lead at the end of the third.
Aside from the touchdown, another highlight of that drive occurred on the fourth play of the possession during a 2nd and 15 situation on the Blue Hens’ nine-yard line. Minicucci connected with Sean Wilson on a short pass, and the sophomore wide receiver carried the ball 51 yards to Tech’s 40-yard line.
UD takes home a 25-24 win!
In the early part of the fourth quarter, the taste of victory seemed to be slipping from their grasp as the Bulldogs scored ten straight points to take a 17-16 edge with 3:09 left in the game.
Delaware continued to struggle as their next drive, after the Bulldogs’ last score, was a disaster. On the sixth play of the possession on a fourth and ten at their own 30-yard line, quarterback Nick Minicucci threw an interception, which was returned all the way for a touchdown to give Louisiana Tech a 24-16 advantage with 2:23 left in the fourth.
The Hens did not lose faith. On their next drive, they covered 75 yards in eight plays, culminating in a three-yard touchdown pass from Minicucci to senior tight end Elijah Sessoms. This brought the score closer, narrowing the deficit to just two points at 24-22 with 34 seconds remaining in the game. However, their attempt at a two-point conversion was unsuccessful.
UD’s kicker, Nate Reed, came in the clutch after that scoring drive as he converted an onside kick that gave the Hens offense the ball back.
Delaware started the possession at Tech’s 40-yard line and drove six yards to end with Reed coming back out and nailing a 51-yard field goal to give the Hens a 25-24 win.
Team Stats
| Team Stats |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 22 | 21 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 4-11 | 4-15 |
| 4th down efficiency | 1-1 | 0-1 |
| Total Yards | 333 | 399 |
| Passing | 202 | 304 |
| Comp/Att | 18/25 | 26/52 |
| Yards per pass | 8.1 | 5.8 |
| Interceptions thrown | 1 | 2 |
| Rushing | 131 | 95 |
| Rushing Attempts | 34 | 24 |
| Yards per rush | 3.9 | 4.0 |
| Penalties | 9-98 | 12-114 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Fumbles lost | 0 | 0 |
| Interceptions thrown | 1 | 2 |
| Possession | 30:04 | 29:56 |
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